West Coast / East Coast || Street Art on the RISE

From its origins in the 1960s, street art has become an established worldwide art movement, also considered to be “an ever changing canvas”.

When most people think of “street art,” they visualize images of graffiti – provocative and uncompromising. And it’s understandable, due to its close associations with vandalizing public property. Times have definitely changed, and today, graffiti art has become a respected new art form. A unique aesthetic, that can draw attention to eye sore areas- with very few restrictions or rules.

Miami Street Art:

– David Lavernia also known as DavEL has gained HUGE “street art cred” for his large murals in Wynwood, Miami.

The street art movement started to gain traction once Art Basel came to South Beach in 2002; it brought waves of international artists and art lovers through the city.

Before its emergence, Wynwood was merely a collection of dilapidated warehouses, shuttered stores, and remnants from the old garment district. Neighborhoods have been converted into giant canvases for street artists, well-known, famous street artists. It is these sensational murals that are still the major draw to the Wynwood Art District. The “imposing murals” is what helped put Wynwood in the art and cultural map. But beyond the street art, it is fast becoming a center of creativity, an art district, a cultural center, a hub for galleries, music and dance productions… in a very edgy and provocative atmosphere

L.A street art:

-L.A.’s own Judy Baca won a $50,000 grant from the U.S. Artists association, breaking ground for mural artists.

Los Angeles artists were among the pioneers of this art form, and today L.A. has thousands of street murals depicting life via artistic styles that can range from classical to modern, and impressionistic to punk and hip-hop.

The general public has become more tolerant and even more supportive of graffiti art, and there have even been exhibits and galleries dedicated to the form. The Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles recently organized an exhibit celebrating street art on walls, subways and buses. The exhibit attracted a great deal of attention and praise from the public, thus inspiring other institutions and organizations to act on the same accord.

Of course, some still reject street art, but whether or not you can appreciate this art form, it’s indisputable that many of these men and women are groundbreaking artists in the modern art world.